Progressive growth of transplanted tumors is accompanied by increasing serum concentrations of murine gamma fetal antigen.
BALB/c mice bearing growing Meth A sarcomas developed gradually increasing serum concentrations of the tumor-associated murine gamma fetal antigen (gamma-FA), a trend which could be reversed by surgical excision of the tumor tissue. This antigen was not detected in the sera of normal adult mice or in the sera of animals with non-neoplastic proliferative condition. Although gamma-FA occurs in splenic tissue, its concentration in tumor-bearer serum was unaffected by splenectomy suggesting that gamma-FA is not released by the spleen in response to tumor growth. Agar gel precipitin and radioimmunoprecipitation assays, using antisera prepared to the major internal protein (P 30) and external glycoprotein (gp 70) of Rauscher murine leukemia virus and to the secondary glycoprotein (gp 34) of mouse mammary tumor virus, indicated that gamma-FA is not a major structural component of the more wide-spread murine retroviruses. The appearance of gamma-FA in the sera of tumor-bearing mice may reflect the ectopic activation of a specific cellular gene, the expression of which bears some relationship to neoplastic transformation.
D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D002286:Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor / Q000276:immunology; D005326:Fetal Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D007942:Leukemia, Experimental / Q000276:immunology; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology*; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000276:immunology; D012513:Sarcoma, Experimental / Q000276:immunology; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D005326:Fetal Proteins; C021679:gamma-fetal antigen